She won the hearts of Aussies everywhere in E Street in the early ’90s and later as the host of Australia’s Funniest Home Videos.
Now, Toni Pearen has a new generation of fans on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!.
The 48-year-old actress tells Woman’s Day she’s never been happier, living on Sydney’s Northern Beaches with her husband of 13 years, Will Osmond, and their gorgeous kids Lucky, 11, and Eva, eight, but the jungle offered the chance to do something new.
“I thought it was time I threw myself into the fire, so to speak!” Toni tells Woman’s Day.
“I wanted to show my kids I’m more than a mum, a cleaner, a cook and caregiver (and I think I wanted to show myself that too!)”
But, it seems, caregiving comes naturally for the star, who found herself playing mother hen to the younger campmates.
“I loved my camp kids, Jack and Abbie. They opened my eyes to many new ideas about their generation. I loved their fearlessness and passion to be themselves.”
Not that you wouldn’t be forgiven for thinking Toni is closer to their age than 50.
“There’s no secret,” she says of her health and fitness regimen.
“I’m lucky I’ve always loved exercise and I love to cook so I take great care to eat as healthy as I can but it’s not an obsession.
“I love a glass of red wine but one glass is all I can really tolerate (or two very small glasses!). I try not to take on stress. I’ve been very lucky in my life and I’m always grateful for that,” she says.
“I have wrinkles and imperfections but I’m proud of the life I’ve had and sucked every minute out of it! When I can’t afford the gym I’ll walk, do weights at home, swim, stretch… I love sweets so the key is to not have chocolate or any sweets in the house!”
And while she confesses she’s “perhaps too natural”, Toni says of cosmetic surgery, “I can’t guarantee I’ll never partake. As a mum, time is limited. The amount of money and time I spent on my hair and face before kids makes my mind boggle.
“It’s hard as a 48-year-old woman to not go down the plastic surgery road but life is wonderful enough without it.”
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